Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if, in the context of the recent report of the Pyrite Panel, all houses in the 74 identified estates in the report are to be tested for pyrite; and, if not, the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37658/12]

Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government in relation to the Pyrite Panel Report if he has adopted a definition of what constitutes significant damage; the way in which homeowners confirm which category they are in terms of the red and amber categories; the way in which and when he intends to clarify this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37940/12]

Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government in relation to homes affected by pyrite the way in which he proposes that the issue of sulphate attack will be investigated and remedied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37941/12]

Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will introduce the standard of less than 0.5% maximum acceptable level of pyrite in infill building material subject to the conditions outlined on page 93 of the Report of the Pyrite Panel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37942/12]

Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the way the issue of pyrite in block will be investigated and remedied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37945/12]

Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he proposes to deal with homeowners who have spent considerable sums of money on pyrite testing if their tests do not conform to the new protocol being developed by the National Standards Authority of Ireland; if he will put in place a pyrite testing scheme at no expense to homeowners to ensure that the full extent of the pyrite problem is identified and remedied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37947/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1046, 1070, 1071, 1072, 1075 and 1077 together.

Seventy four estates were identified to the Pyrite Panel as possibly having pyrite. In the case of 23 of these estates, no pyrite related claims have been made to structural guarantee companies nor did there appear to be any significant evidence, at the time the Panel undertook its work, to support the contention that there are pyrite problems in all or any of these cases. I have asked the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) to develop protocols for:

- testing and categorisation of reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material,

- a method statement specifying a methodology for the removal and replacement of hardcore in buildings with pyrite.

It has set up Technical Standards Committees, with broad representation of people with an expertise in the particular areas, to assist in undertaking this work; they have also sought written submissions from the public.

The testing and categorisation protocol will address the assessment of damage and approaches to testing and categorisation of dwellings. The method statement will give guidance for dealing with sulfate attack where it occurs. The Pyrite Panel considered the issue of sulfate attack and in its report stated that it had been informed by a number of experts, directly involved in cases of damage caused by pyritic heave that sulfate attack had not presented, at that time, as a significant structural issue.

The pyrite report recommends the development of a standalone specification for hardcore for use under concrete floors in buildings, with a requirement for appropriate testing by quarries to demonstrate compliance. I have also asked NSAI to undertake this work and they have agreed to do so. The limits to be applied for pyrite will be considered having regard to the knowledge and expertise developed over the past number of years. The remit of the Pyrite Panel was to consider the issue of pyrite in hardcore used in private housing and it did not deal with the issue of pyrite in blocks. However, according to the Panel it was not informed of any failures of concrete or concrete products, due to aggregates containing reactive pyrite being used as a constituent of the concrete, at the same time or in the locality of where the problems of hardcore occurred.

Pending the completion of the work on the testing and categorisation protocol by the NSAI, I am not in a position to consider what, if any, issues will arise for homeowners who have already undertaken testing but I would hope that the protocol will not create any additional expense for homeowners.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has asked stakeholders to provide an interim report detailing progress made on the pyrite crisis in consultation with pyrite-affected homeowners and their representatives; and, if not, the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37659/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The pyrite report pointed to the need for Government to ensure that responsible stakeholders should engage constructively in processes to deliver effective solutions for homeowners and should bear the costs of remediation. On receiving the pyrite report I engaged with the key stakeholders outlining my position to them in the context of what I expected from them. I set a deadline of the end of September for them to come back to me with credible proposals to provide solutions for homeowners. In setting this deadline, I was conscious of the need to make progress as quickly as possible having regard to the difficult situation in which affected homeowners find themselves. In view of the tight timeframe and the complexity of the issues being considered, I did not believe that requiring an interim report would be constructive or beneficial.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if draft legislation has been prepared to impose levies on any stakeholder who has failed to cooperate or implement a required action by an agreed deadline as outlined in the report of the Pyrite Panel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37660/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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My preferred approach to advancing solutions for homeowners affected by pyrite is for responsible stakeholders to take ownership of the problem and work with me to provide an industry-led solution for homeowners. In this regard I have set a deadline of the end of September for the relevant stakeholders to come back to me with credible proposals. However, in the absence of positive outcomes from my engagement with the stakeholders I will consider asking Government to examine the imposition of a mandatory levy on the construction/quarrying sector and related insurance sector to fund the prospective Resolution Board, as envisaged in the pyrite report.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will clarify the status of multi-unit developments and apartments in the pyrite remediation and resolution process given that ground floor dwellings are referred to in the Report of the Pyrite Panel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37661/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Pyrite Panel undertook a desktop study to establish facts in relation to the potential exposure to pyrite in private dwellings, including apartments and duplexes. As the pyrite problem relates to under-floor hardcore stone fill only ground floors in apartments and duplexes were considered.